CAST YOUR MIND BACK: Episode 3, 1995, Girl Power before the Spice Girls existed

1995 was the year of seminal works and debuts from bands that we have come to obsess over. Oasis released '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?', the Red Hot Chilli Peppers had 'One Hot Minute', and every girl had a copy of 'Jagged Little Pill' by Alanis Morrisette. Myself included; that being the first CD that was bought for me. Australian favourites Regurgitator and You Am I were first getting recognition and local fame, but I wasn't quite into them yet (but oh boy would I be into them). One thing I was getting into was Björk, and I bought her 'Post' record on cassette tape, the first album I ever bought with my own money. A lot of first for me in 1995! IN FACT, BJÖRK IS FIRST ON THIS LIST! HA!

Björk - "Army Of Me" (#83)

When this song came out, I could NOT get it out of my head. I spent a few days humming to it constantly until I tried to seek out who she was and how I could get her music. I had seen "It's Oh So Quiet" on Rage and soon linked the two together and soon I was fascinated by this insane backflipping pixie-ish lady. I never stopped being fascinated really. At the time I thought the lyrics were "And if you complain why I'm small, you'll meet an army of me" not "If you complain once more"... and since I was going through a "I'm the shortest person in my class and for that no one takes me seriously and it sucks" phase, it suited me very well. 

Supergrass - "Alright" (#79)

I thought this song was really old when I heard it the year it came out, and couldn't understand why it was being played everywhere. It became the soundtrack in the back of my head for fun holiday days and weekends of activities and adventure (not that many really, I was a pretty shy kid).  

N-Trance - "Stayin' Alive" (#64)

I was super surprised to see this song by "lets recycle a famous song and turn it into a clubbing piece of shit remix" collective N-Trance, make the countdown. It must have been PRETTY BIG considering it was PRETTY SHIT. I did like it though, because I was a 90's kid of the age of 9. Now it reminds me of the scene in 'Romy and Michele's Highschool Reunion' where they do a synchronized dance at a club, which is awkward and deadpan and hilarious. So the song has been good for one (1) thing. 

U2 - Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me (#57)

Let me be frank, I am not a U2 fan, and will never be one. But BATMAN, guys. The last couple of Batman movies ('..Forever', and '..And Robin') before Christopher Nolan got his hands on the franchise, were complete rubbish. But goddamn did they have excellent soundtracks. It's almost as though Joel Schumacher had to find a way to make the films worth anything, so threw a bunch of money at some decent artists to make some decent songs. This is one of them, with a pretty absorbing videoclip. God I loved watching those movie soundtrack video clips, especially if I hadn't seen the movie yet. I had seen the whole movie by the end of the clip though.


Skunk Anansie - "I Can Dream" (#41)

No one remembers this band I bet, and I have no idea what happened to them, but I really liked this song. It's very rock and screamy and loud and rough, but I think mostly I was enamoured by the lead singer. I loved how she was bald (omg she was bald!) but still beautiful and had such a powerful voice and presence, and to me that was pretty out there. 1995 may have been my total girlpower year.

Alanis Morrisette - "You Oughta Know" (#39)

SPEAKING OF. HERE SHE IS. THE QUEEN OF THE 90's FEMINISTS, ALANIS. I can't really pick a favourite song from this era because I played her album on repeat for months, but this song was the first to grab my attention. Alanis was so mad and crazy and sang with so much snipe and passion, and she had long hair and thrashed it around a bit. What more could you want, really? Unfortunately the best thing she did after this album was play God in Kevin Smith's 'Dogma'.

Pulp - "Common People" (#38)

I remember really liking "Disco 2000" more than this song, which was released in November that year (so perhaps too late in the game to get enough followers to vote). I grew to love this song pretty soon after it made the CD and it's still a classic. You may have all forgotten about the William Shatner with Ben Folds (feat Joe Jackson) cover of this song, but let me refresh your memory. I know you hate me right now but I'm not sorry. 

Swoop - "Apple Eyes" (#32)

This song was ridiculously catchy and bright, and just like most catchy bright songs of the time, was a one hit wonder of sorts. The film clip was half the appeal... I love how they discovered Green Screen in the worst possible way, so now it is so 90's it's gone past there to the 2000's and back to the 80's. The "I think I love you" bit made me cringe back then and it is making me cringe now. 

Jill Sobule - "I Kissed A Girl" (#18)

FUCK YOU KATY PERRY, JILL KISSED A GIRL BEFORE YOU DID, AND SHE LIKED IT BETTER THAN YOU DID. You thought you were so out there and taboo making a song about an occasional lapse into lesbianism (whether permanent or not) when it is OLD NEWS. It's not taboo anymore Katy and Jill didn't need fluro blue or pink hair and crazy outfits to pull it off. Where are you now Jill, to punch this girl in the throat? THIS IS GIRLPOWER, DAMMIT.

Mindless Drug Hoover - "The Reefer Song" (#12)

One of those novelty songs that was forgotten about in a year, and was truly pretty terrible. I had to get a friend who knew better to fill me in on what 'reefer' was, and once I knew, it was so deliciously naughty to sing along to. I had it soon memorized even though I still wasn't entirely sure what was going on in the song. For someone so impressionable I never developed much of an interest in actually trying reefer.

T.I.S.M. (This Is Serious Mum) - "Greg! The Stop Sign!!" (#10)

Baklava (or wine cask bladder)-clad TISM may have SEEMED like a novelty band, but they were actually very good musicians with quite a bit of songwriting wit. They can even transfer their hits on to traditional greek instruments. Their real identities were never to be revealed, with rumours that they were members of the Wiggles or Machine Gun Fellatio, but eventually were (proving all rumours incorrect). This song was one heck of an earworm and even though I only heard it a bunch of times on the radio/Rage, I heard it a million times more in my head.

Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue - "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (#8)

Possibly one of the worst Nick Cave songs ever, with some of the most compromising and cringey lyrics: "...BUT MY NAME WAS ELIIIISA DAY". Ok, Elisa. But Kylie got some serious indie cred from this (which carried over from her earlier indie-er offerings), and it was pretty mega. The song was a pretty basic 'murder ballad' (guess which Nick Cave album this is on??) and enchanted me for many months... even the terrible filmclip had me watching intently. Ok so there are some much less feminist works in this countdown... this song definitely balances out the angry lady rock songs. 

Custard - "Apartment" (#7)

For starters, this song is freaking brilliant. For seconds, I loved it to bits. For thirds, it is the first song I played on my first very own CD player. In my room. Imagine it. It was the awesomest thing ever at the time. Never mind I also purchased Hit Machine 14 to go with that CD player, let's just forget that ever happened. Lastly, I still love this song and have a great time listening to it. CLASSIC CUSTARD. NEVER FORGET. 

Presidents of the United States - "Kitty" (#4)

I was originally a cat person before we got a dog, and then I became a fence sitter. So while our family had a lovely grey persian cat named Geno, this was a song I enjoyed. (I only just realised now, as he was a very old cat, that at the time I thought cats got grey like humans did. ANYWAY) It's definitely not the Presidents' best work, and it's as novelty as they come, but I got lots of fun out of singing this song (except I never said the f's.) Goddammit I was such a boring child. 

Oasis - "Wonderwall" (#1)

And now for the song that blitzed the entire world and made Beatle-esque music totally cool and in. My parents bought '(What's the Story) Morning Glory?' not long after it came out and I got heavily, heavily into it. It is an excellent album, no one can really deny that, and had a lot of staying power. I remember in that year after the countdown, mum enrolled me into a drama group nearby, and for one of our activities we had to get in a line and sing some of our favourite song. I started in a tone way too low for me "TODAY IS GUNNA BE THE DAY THAT I'M GUNNA THROW IT BACK TO YEWWW". It was horrible, and the group leader was a little taken aback. I'm still blushing from it. Anyway, this song was destined to be number one, and the fact I loved it made it all the sweeter. 

For the full list see HERE! HAVE FUN LISTENING TO THE COUNTDOWN TODAY GUYS! I'VE ACTUALLY NOT GOT SUPER UPSET YET (Except for maybe Lana Del Ray and Of Monsters and Men getting in, you really have to be kidding me.... shhh steph) BUT THERE IS STILL TIME! SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR 1996! 

CAST YOUR MIND BACK: Episode 2, 1994 ('cause I'm a dimwit)

This post carries on from original post here!

OK. I am stupid and have no sense of time. When googling the Triple J Hottest 100 lists I naturally worked back a year, keeping in mind that all hottest 100 countdowns are announced in the new year. My last blog post was about 1993, not 1992. I used that M.I.A. reference all for nothing. I am sorry for being a total dickhead. 
Also, if you're viewing on your mobile, please click on the links to watch the videos, as for some reason the embeds didn't come up on phone screens last time. Never been a better time to switch to Tumblr!

199FOUR was the year that Cranberries nailed the top spot, The Offspring's "Ixnay on the Hombre" was everyone's most played album, and Silverchair turned up fresh off the highschool bus and became instant heartthrobs. 

The countdown list suggests that Triple J listeners WERE better back then, OR the music was better, because people voted BEERCAN (#29) above LOSER (#45) by Beck which I am assuming was a song much less flogged. HUGE songs such as "Mm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by the Crash Test Dummies or "Stay" by Lisa Loeb, were only a measly 69 and 100 respectively, and the most mainstream tune that made it in was probably Warren G's "Regulate" featuring Nate Dogg (which is kinda rad really). My memory is sharper of this time and music was becoming much more a part of my world, but I will stick with 15 songs for you. 

Blur - "Girls And Boys (Remix)" (coming in at #96... should have been higher!)

I remember pairing this song at the time with East 17's awful cover of "West End Girls", because they both talked about boys and girls, had similar-ish filmclips, and were good looking. Except no one remembers that song and everyone remembers Blur's song, which you can still hear played at Ric's on a Saturday night. BLURPLEASECOMETOAUSTRALIARIGHTNOWOKTHANKSBYE.

Dave Graney 'n' the Coral Snakes - "I'm Gonna Release Your Soul" (#79)

One my parent's favourites at the time (or so my memory tells me), Dave Graney hit pretty big with this song. It was damn catchy and stuck in your head immediately, with a bit of sex appeal that was most definitely lost on 8 year old me. I think it mostly annoyed me, but I can naturally appreciate and enjoy it in my adult life. 

Frente - "Bizarre Love Triangle" (#56)

Frente! was one of the first bands I ever got into as a very youngster, and they were very appropriate for a 7 year old to get into as "Accidentally Kelly Street" sounded like a song from Play School. This song however was a very popular, sweet cover of the New Order tune, that I thought at the time was an excellent original (remember how old I was guys). I can remember my dad remarking on the video "that girl's got something up her schnozz", and nothing more... not even bothering to tell me that this wasn't an original song. SHAME ON YOU FRANCO.


Ed Kuepper - "La Di Doh" (#55)

For some reason I really liked this song as a kid, and I don't really know why- maybe it was just my parents going nuts over it and thus modelling was the culprit. SHAME ON YOU AGAIN FRANCO. It is a really good song though, a thousand times better live rather than this kind of abrupt recording. 

Christine Anu - "Monkey and the Turtle" (#43)

Remember Christine!? She was all 'My Island Home' and 'Why don't you come join ma parteh' and before those songs got big she did this song, which was a million times better than those two. So groovy and joyous and easy to sing along. Probably danced to this in my room one time too many. 

The Prodigy - "Voodoo People" (#37)

I definitely danced to this in my room ten times too many. 

Tori Amos - "Cornflake Girl" (#35)

What was she singing about?! What was she saying half the time!? Peel out the walch wear? Who knew! All I knew is whenever I had cornflakes for breakfast, I too was a cornflake girl, and this song was in some way partly responsible for my desire to play piano some day. 

Kylie Minogue - "Confide In Me" (#30)

Remember when Kylie Minogue had some good songs? This was even before her 'Impossible Princess' Indie-queen era, during which  she also had some good songs. This was a pretty great song, and if anyone disputes that well then I don't care. It also opened up my vocabulary a bit. 

Underground Lovers - "Losin' It" (#19)

This song kills me every time. IT IS SO GOOD. Back then I was a bit saddened by it, as it sounded so mournful and hopeless. But since then its catch and hook and danceability weirdly uplifts me despite the lonesome subject matter. Underground Lovers were totally underrated. They toured recently but DID I GO? NO BECAUSE I SUCK. 

Nick Cave - "Do You Love Me" (#11)

Nick Cave's two big songs at this time, this one and "Red Right Hand", took over the airwaves and took myself to a dark, scary place with no light at the end of the tunnel. Somehow I was okay with this, (again, my parents probably had a lot to do with that... FRANCO!) and would sing along to this song in the living room. I obviously didn't listen too deeply to the lyrics. Great job Nick!

Severed Heads - "Dead Eyes Opened (remix)" (#10)

"I'm not going into details. It's too horrible." There are many many versions of this song on youtube, as it has been remixed a hundred times, and was first released in 1984. The song's sample of a British man reading an excerpt from what I read was a book called "Death on the Crumbles" made it a huge hit- it was fascinating and ghastly. Along with the addictive electronic beat, the song is almost timeless.

Max Sharam - "Coma" (#8)

I remember this filmclip EERILY well. It's not a great clip, but the song was probably my favourite ever at the time. The sense of insanity was so present, even if I was too young understand the concept of stalking and heartbreak. In a way I related to that sense of coming apart and being in a coma-esque funk, as I was a pretty anxious young girl at the time. Max Sharam was a one wonder at the time, cleaning up at the ARIAs then disappearing, but wikipedia tells me she is crowdfunding a new record. 

Veruca Salt - "Seether" (#6)

I have a distinct memory of my mum and dad watching this clip and endlessly debating what the "Seether" in the song was. "It's a cat!" "NO it's a human!" "Oh maybe it's a dog?" "No it's definitely a cat!" One of those classic 90's girl rock bands, the rawness of this song hooked me, and left me to wonder for hours how you'd try to cram a child/person back into a person's 'mound' or 'mouth', if you want to believe LyricsFreak. 

Silverchair - "Tomorrow" (#5)

It is simply quite amazing how far Silverchair came, growing up out of their Pearl Jam/Nirvana emulating beginnings and into an artistic, critically lauded band. I can't say I was a fan of them all the way through (and felt sometimes the 'artiness' was a bit gratuitous), but listen to something like Dissociatives (in which frontman Daniel Johns collaborated with Paul Mac of Itch-E and Scratch-E, another 1994 fave), and its hard to believe they're the same band. This was a perfect rock song that gave them huge exposure, whether they wanted it or not.

The Cranberries - "Zombie" (#1)

"IN YUR HEEEEAAAD!! ZAHHHHMBEHHH-YEH" Having NO concept of the Protestant VS Catholic conflict in Ireland, I of course just thought this song was about zombies and enjoyed singing along to what I thought was a hilarious tune. It was damn hard to escape this tune and it's despairing tones, and it was no surprise when it became number one. 

THAT'S ALL! I believe the countdown for Triple J's Hottest 100 songs of the last 20 years is next weekend. Do you think I can complete this blog project by then? NO WAY! I will forever be harping on about last years news. As long as someone reads it, I don't care... I SHALL CARRY ON. See you soon for Part 3, 1995!

CAST YOUR MIND BACK: Triple J Hottest 100s, Episode 1, 1992.

A few weeks ago while I was flicking through the radio on my way to work (or rather, switching between Triple J and 4zzz, and River FM because sometimes they have some MAD CLASSICS), I heard an announcement that Triple J are doing a Hottest 100 countdown of the past 20 years, to mark the yearly poll's 20th birthday. 
Whether or not you feel inclined to vote for this, and will or won't be disappointed that the poll won't contain the ones you vote for; the event is going to take your mind back regardless. As they tend to do a Hottest 100 of All Time every couple of years or so, is there a point to this poll? Who knows. But I couldn't help but reminisce, as we all so love to do, being in our nature. 
When I first started to take notice of music other than Disney soundtracks and the Beatles, it would have been about 1993-1994 when I was about 7 or 8. My family had moved to the sticks (Caboolture), and we didn't have as many friends or things to do. We were living in a rental property while our house got built and my mum had initiated a new tradition of putting the radio on in the afternoons after school, unleashing all sorts of musical havoc on my ears. Mum and Dad also bought the Hottest 100 volume 2 CD that year which I basically took possession of and never gave back. It was all thanks to Triple J that I was the only 8 year old in my school who listened to Björk, knew who Nick Cave was, would grow to obsess over Regurgitator and Ben Folds Five and complained that all my best friend wanted to listen to was "My Heart Will Go On" on repeat. My parents have a lot to answer for, but my versatility in taste and eagerness to explore more new music, was thanks to one thing, Triple J. 
These days I've become jaded and insist that the music is not as good as it was back then, and the talk back so much more irritating (is it a sign of age or is it the truth?), but I can't shake the fond relationship I once had with Triple J. It got me through high school nights of cramming, and introduced me to the musical friends that would be there for me when human friends seemed scarce. So to pay tribute to this long running government funded radio station, I've decided to do a succession of posts detailing the highlights of the first ten years of Triple J Hottest 100's existence. After that, I'm retiring this tired neglected blog, in favour of a generic newfangled tumblr. 

So Triple J's first yearly poll (since doing 'All Time' polls from 1989 onwards) was in early 1993, listing off the best from 1992. I was 7, and not quite into the music that defined me just yet- but there were some gems that ended up in the countdown, that I distinctly remember dancing, humming, singing, or being transfixed by. My Dad did a pretty good job of shielding me from the number one song, Denis Leary's "Asshole", and I'm not including the songs I got into LATER in life.... So here's 15 that I remember getting into best.

The Shamen - "Ebeneezer Goode" (coming in at #99)

This song is pure 90's one-hit-wonder bliss in it's most infectious form. I was fascinated by it's weird "noorrrty noorrrty, verrrrrrrrrry norrrrrrrrrrrrtty" intro, random laughter, and sped up cockney lyrics, in that way that you don't really LIKE something but just can't help listening to it. It belongs firmly in the 90's but enjoys being rehashed by Triple J on the odd occasion. 


Inner Circle - "Sweat (A La La La La Long)" (#94)

I remember attempting to choreograph this song with my grade 2 school friends in the playground. We all loved it's silly a-lalala-long lyrics and made impressions of the lead singer's reggae voice, and all the while not realizing that were were singing about a guy wanting to basically rape a lady. It is also a terrible song.

Green Jelly - "Three Little Pigs" (#85)

I also have Rage to thank for my exposure of music of course, without which I would not have seen this fantastically novel video. This song was perfect for an innocent seven year old who had just had The True Story of the Three Little Pigs read to her by her teacher. Bastardized fairy tales were a bit of a thing for a while.
 

Culture Beat - Mr Vain (#68) 

I think I actually had to warm up to this song in jazz dance class, or at least watch another group do it. Ok, lets be real, the early nineties had some doozies, and this was one of them. But that was 90's dance for you and we've all progressed since then. In the meantime, I am doing some mad Night at the Roxbury-esque head pops right now. 

Utah Saints - "Something Good" (#66)

This song is bloody amazing, so much so that they remixed and re-released it in 2008. Not really necessary, but at least it reminded people that the song existed and was ah, something very good (lulz) for its time. I have a memory of doing a dance in the garden to this song. 

Faith No More - "Easy" (#62)

My first exposure to transvestism was thanks to this video clip. Of course I just thought it was silly and funny, and there was nothing that a young girl should worry about, so I'm glad for my naivety. This song is played to death now, but it was always quite a solid one.

Ween - "Push Th' Lil Daisies" (#40)

My mum hated this song, and I couldn't really figure out why. It was catchy and the singer had a cute little boy voice and the film clip was weird... I had no idea what he was singing about so I assumed it was something rude and that's why mum didn't like it. Which it's not... right??? R.I.P. Ween, I miss you.

Salt-N-Pepa - "Shoop" (#35)

This song was on all the bloody time. I probably asked "What does shoop mean" enough to drive my parents nuts. I thought the middle girl's hair was pretty cool. That's all my thoughts on this song. 


Ace of Base - "All That She Wants" (#29)

I remember singing this song with Dad a little later on when mum was pregnant with my little sister. That all my mum wanted was another bab-eh was debatable... just kidding, love you Maz! Anyway I completely adored this song, along with "The Sign". I wanted to dress like those swedish girls and light candles and brood.

4 Non Blondes - "What's Up" (#24)

I utterly HATED this song when it came out, and it remains as one of my least favourite songs of all time. SO annoying. What was she trying to achieve with that fucking hat and goggles, seriously? Do you have to be so badly 90's, lady? Can you please have a better voice? Also please get out of my head whenever I think of you?! Sheeeeesh. 


The Cruel Sea- "Black Stick" (#21)

My parents got this album around this time, and played it to smithereens. Once, many years later, an American exchange student was staying with a family friend and we took her out to some of the more interesting parts of Brisbane, and my mum put this on in the car. Probably the most Australian music you could play to a US dweller, I was kind of embarrassed at the time but was also reminded of what a great album this is. 

Pet Shop Boys - "Go West" (#18)

Another shit 90's song that I loved to pieces. I had a brief Pet Shop Boys love affair as a super youngster, but so did the rest of the world at the time. I'll assume, anyway. This is an awful song. Enjoy. 


REM - "Everybody Hurts" (#11)

My uncle was a huge REM fanatic and also helped me along my musical journey. The film clip was on all the time and I remember laughing at the captions in it. It also became one of the first songs I learnt on guitar. The album was another one my parents flogged a bit too, and I remember being frightened of "New Orleans Instrumental No. 1". I thought it sounded like aliens. 

Blind Melon - "No Rain" (#4)

One of those songs that was impossible to miss, and all my easy listening loving friends would still harp on it about a decade later. I don't know how popular it would have been without that film clip (Blogger won't let me post you the clip here for some reason). I really identified with that kid, man. 

Radiohead - "Creep" (#2) 

Duh. If you didn't hear this song at the time then you were without hearing. It seemed dark and not very nice and there was a swear in it (depending on where you were hearing it) and I didn't really think much of it, but I remember wondering why the man was so down about himself. I did think he was a bit creepy myself. NOW LOOK AT ME. 

For the complete list, click here. See you in a few days with the best of 1993... In the meantime, comment with your best memories of 92, if you wish! 

INDEPENDENT! LOCAL! BRISBANE! OVERSEAS! get into it!

Hi everyone. I have been going to a few things here and there over the year thus far that have been more social events than "OH MY GOD I AM GOING TO SEE THIS BAND TONIGHT" which often tends to happen when you're out and about and you end up seeing a local band play a drinking venue. The best part about going out to meet up with friends and seeing some music along the way is you often find yourself really enjoying the band and you get something extra out of your night. It's why I prefer to go to a gig than go to a club, and it's why you should too! Anyway I thought I'd discuss some of the local bands I've seen so far over the past six months, or that I've noticed on the radar and would like to see. Come with me. 

LOCAL

Please click the names for links to bandcamp or similar artist pages! I've thrown in a couple of videos which happen to have been directed by very talented people I know, and I know it may seem like a great big plug but I honestly also think they're excellent.


Astrid and the Asteroids
I saw Astrid and her fellow Asteroids at the Zoo months back, and have wanted to write about them since. Simply put, they are a goddamn talented crew of musicians (mostly Conservatorium graduates, so figures) lead by the enigmatic and vocally marvellous Astrid. Not only do they put on an energetic and powerful live show, decked out in out-of-this-world space costumes, but their music is catchy, infectious and brilliant, in it's brassy, groovy style. I had some super mad fun at this gig. 


Cub Scouts
Cub Scouts have been touring with the likes of Brisbane darlings Ball Park Music and getting quite the name for themselves. They have a very Holiday's feel to me, blissful jangly pop with sweet lyrical moments. I can see them becoming the next indie pop faves on the Triple J circuit and beyond, and it's not hard to see why. Try not to get their song below stuck in your head, I dare ya. 

videoclip directed by world's greatest housemate Sam Rogers

Tiptoes
Tiptoes is a one man band here in Brisbane who specializes in electro-post-pop with the essences of Pulp and Prince, mixed with some Microphones-esque folk. His subject matter is often psychadelic, existential and apocalyptic, with lyrics of depth and complexity hushed in a contemplative croon. His work is both unique and brilliant, and he can even play two far-apart synths at the same time while singing, as I had the priviledge of witnessing at a show at a Real Bad Music gig in February. I'm looking forward to the split single he is currently recording with fellow musician Perpetual Nervousness, and hopefully a 6" EP later in the year. 


Mindjar
I caught Mindjar at the Zoo a few weeks ago and was pretty impressed with their tight set, reflective of old school 90's and 00's alt-rock with dashes of metal-lite. Lead singer Corrie has a superb voice, belting out heartfelt lyrics, sometimes with a screech, others a whisper, and was completely immersed in his performance. The band itself is well in sync and with thumping drums and growling bass, play tight together- but this is clearly Corrie's avenue to shine, sliding himself around the stage like a good frontman should. 

Blank Realm
Blank Realm were part of the third annual Deadshits festival, held at Black Bear lodge, at which I was eager to see label mates Kitchen's Floor for my first time. However good they were, it was Blank Realm that stuck in my memory, so much so that I considered checking them out again at Record Store Day (but did catch some very good Jungle Giants before departing instead). Very electro-ambient, full of reverb and fuzz, but also with some infectiously gritty rock moments, they also managed to entertain me most with a positively charged set. I expect they're already 4ZZZ old hat faves.

Royal Zephyr
Royal Zephyr are a bunch of suave Brisbane gents (I should stop typing the word Brisbane. They're all from Brisbane. Gah) who I'm yet to see live, but they channel some serious 60's - 80's punk rock in their songs; drum fills, electric riffs and all. One track sounds like it could have been a long-lost Doors recording, another is like something Tame Impala wishes they'd created. Whatever their influences are, they have a very retro feel which I have a feeling will be a lot of fun live.


Skypilot
Skypilot is a very easy to enjoy alt-rock band, made up of a group of excellent musicians around Brisbane. They've been compared to the National and U2, and while I'm not a huge fan of either of those bands, they have a similar vocal and musical style.. while in my opinion, being much more enjoyable. They have an excellent range from slow burning lovely acoustic moments, to intensity building drum-pounding guitar-screeching energy. 

videoclip directed by world's best brother and girlfriend, Nic F and Lydia H. I'm also in it!

...

OVERSEAS

Additional to some excellent local bands, are some fantastic international (namely US) musical acts I have come across via internet befriending and some that have travelled. These are all independent, local artists in their area, unsigned and completely excellent. I'd encourage you to check them out and support original, independent artists, also they're just freaking good. 


Pocket Vinyl
This Connecticut piano-rock duo has some clear influences, such as Ben Folds, Beirut, but with a fresh and unique passion that makes them stand out. Their songs are beautifully produced and coupled with frontman Eric's brilliant emotive voice and lyrics. Their shows are something I would really like to see over here, in which Eric plays and Elizabeth paints to the music, always something beautiful and inspired (no Red Paintings jokes). They auction off the painting at the end of the show, so the audience may get even more than just a performance. They're also husband and wife too. It's cute.


Clotworthy
Clotworthy, a young musical genius from Philadelphia, makes music I wish I could make (but I'd have to be the female version). Clotworthy tells the familiar story of what it's like to be a dude, trying to make a life, get a girl, maintain a friendship, chase that neverending carrot that is success, but not always make it. Also, what it would be like to be Bill Murray. Along with the relatable lyrics sang with his excellent and unique voice, his synth-driven electro rock music carries you along, and is destined to stick in your head. 


The Uncle Steves
The Uncle Steves, from Illinois, seem to have taken Beck's "Mellow Gold" era and taken it to a whole other level, turning it into their own unique genre. They excel at mixing hip hop with gritty rock, harmonies, acoustic ecstasy and some excellent handclapping. The Uncle Steves style is infectious and powerful, and stays with you for days... There are moments of melodic bliss amongst moments of raw shoe gaze, and it all ties together brilliantly; with heaps to discover upon repeated listenings. 

Max Hay
Away from his home of Montana, Max actually toured Australia in April and played a gig at the Dowse bar as part of their Wednesday event 'The Round.' The Round involves 3 musicians playing a number of songs each, in a round as it suggests. While the other musicians, Brad Butcher and Sam Buckingham, were quite good, Max was the clear standout. His style could be described as Bill Callahan meets Henry Wagons (except less Australian of course), with a tongue in cheek sense of humour peppered in between. Tying together his deep voice with acoustic guitar, harmonica and DIY percussion, his live performance was pretty mesmerising, and I hope he makes the trip back again. 

I'm sure I'll write about many more artists to come! I hope you like them.

So... guess what my next review is going to be of? The motherfucking man in purple himself, Prince. Never thought I'd ever end up at a Prince concert, but there I will be tomorrow night, hopefully in some faux leather, frills and purple eye shadow. Can't wait.

Bon Iver (with Sally Seltmann), The Tivoli, Friday 16th of March

Riding well off the back of his recent grammy win, in which even One Direction fans want to know who Bonny Bear is, Bon Iver came to Brisbane for a rare three (3) shows, to appease all the new and old fans that have multiplied tenfold in the last year. The shows were announced way back in December last year, at which time I was pretty excited, until Justin Vernon and co.'s 'flavour of the month' status overshadowed everything else.
It was easy to get back into excitement mode when a Thursday night concert goer friend raved about how great he was, and also went and met him not a kilometer from where I was doing nothing in my house. DAMMIT!

Old Sal

My gig buddy tonight was my dear brother who had joined in on the Bonny bandwagon around the same time I had. We rocked up in time to see New Buff... I mean Sally Seltmann. I could be biased, but Sally didn't have quite the same stage presence that she did a fair few years ago under the moniker of New Buffalo. Now that she is riding off the back of female supergroup Seeker Lover Keeper, I guess the audience wasn't as excited as they would have been had SLK been onstage, and hence she played a lot of their songs. She also gave us a few new songs from her self-titled solo album, as well as a couple I recognized from her later New Buffalo repertoire. Despite the disconnect, she sounded lovely and I very much enjoyed it- her angelic voice still comes across well onstage. Sally's also definitely migrated from her days of pressing play on a backing track while singing into a microphone, as she did the first time i saw her in 2005 supporting Bright Eyes. Somehow I just remember more people being a little more transfixed by her back then.

The stage for Bon Iver was made up quite ruggedly with hessian draped around as if we were in a cabin in the woods. He's come a long way since those 'For Emma, Forever Ago' days, as he came on amid huge cheers. Everyone wants a piece of Bon Iver now, and I guess three sold out shows are testimony to that. As predicted by my brother (with a very accurate imitation of the opening chords), Justin and the band started off with the first song, "Perth" from the latest album 'Bon Iver, Bon Iver'. Live, it was a spot on, moving interpretation of the record, which is what I imagined it to be. From the quiet, building opening notes, to it's crashing crescendo, every sound filled the theatre, leading into the second song "Minnesota, WI". It was quite magnificent, and when Justin started to sing, I didn't expect it to sound quite so hauntingly beautiful. He sounded so true to recording, strong and echoey, I wondered if there were any effects going on. And even if there was it was still impressive.
The excellence went on from there and he played a wonderful selection of all the fan favourites, including "Blood Bank" off his title EP, and even "Brackett, WI" which he did for the brilliantly compiled 'Dark is the Night' compilation. 

The musicians were fantastic, and you really couldn't fault them for a second. As they left and Justin took the stage solo for "Re: Stacks", it was a delicate, gorgeous and sniffle-inducing moment. The only thing you could fault was that I realized just how similar their songs sounded and how much of a style Bon Iver have created. It is a style that is is not to everyone's taste, and can at times be in danger of getting old. In fact, there were a couple of moments where i did find my mind wandering... but to be honest that does happen at gigs, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes I can think through an entire problem situation at a gig; it can be a nice place to reflect. (Unfortunately I cannot count gigs toward psychological professional development).

Old mate

Coupled with the brilliant music was the band's, and particularly Justin's, laid back manner. Despite the opportunity to be high and mighty, there is no pretension with this man, and he engaged the crowd as a genuine, down to earth fellow who could be your mate, just doing what he loves and having a good time. 


I have to mention the worst part of the show however. I became so mad about a group of metrosexual-appearing guys behind me that I wonder if i am actually getting quite senile, bitter and twisted. In addition to one of them doing the '*tap shoulder*, *look the other way*' routine to me before the performance, these guys nattered and laughed through the whole performance (because obviously Bon Iver is also a comedy group???). It reached breaking annoyance point when one of them said 'Where are we going afterwards?' and another asked 'Who is this guy again? He's good.' This happened while "Skinny Love" was being played. I was looking forward to hearing the ultimate sad times/break up/depression song transcending onstage and letting it wash over me, but I COULDN'T thanks to their giggling and chatting. I detest that feeling of someone laughing behind you; you wonder if they are laughing at you, know it's probably ridiculous, but continue to be unsettled anyway, and want to punch them all in their collective face. Instead of doing this however, I looked around and glared at them evilly. It did nothing, but I felt slightly more satisfied than if I had just stewed in my spot.


I just DON'T UNDERSTAND, if you don't know who a band is and you'd rather go pick up chixx at the Met, then why are you paying $65 to see a musician at a venue full of his fans? If you're not a fan, and are going to talk the entire time, then go away. I know this may sound hypocritical, because I did do this at Gareth Liddiard's show a year ago, but I was at the window rather than in the crowd, and he was a complete dickhead and sounded like shit. Sorry Drones fans, but not really. Bon Iver on the other hand were amazing, and I felt they were disrespecting the band by doing this. Support acts can suffer from the audience talking through their set, but that is kind of expected since people aren't there to see them, but during the main act... there is an exit. 
Now that rant is over, I feel dirty and like I should be writing to mX or A Current Affair. I just think there should be some mosh pit etiquette to follow. Why don't we list some etiquette rules now since we're in this mind funk?? No? Too bad. 


1. Don't fart. Hold it in. Go to the toilet. Don't fart. For the love of god. 
2. Keep your laughter and loud chats and stupid opinions to yourself. If you want to say a lot of things, use the text on your phone.
3. Don't lean on me, I'm not a pole, or a chair.
4. Do be expected to have your personal space ratio go out the window, and expect it to be somewhat smaller. Don't get too bothered when people accidentally touch you. Having said that, you are entitled to a bit of breathing space..
5. If you want to jump/dance/go mad, please be respectful of people who don't want elbows in their chins and their face on the floor.
5. If you want to drink, buy a couple beforehand. Don't try to go to the bar and get back to the exact same spot you were before, unless you're happy to be cursed by a lot of people. 
6. Putting your arm up in the air and pointing throughout the entire song is not only bad for your arm health but I don't want to watch/ take a photo of your arm. Feel free to point it up and down though, I can kind of work with that.
7. If you have diabetes, take your insulin. If you don't have your insulin shot, and you're about to faint, get the fuck out of the mosh pit. Don't eat my lollies out of my hand with your slimy tongue. I don't care how big of a Björk fan you are. 


I'm sure there are many rules that you, reader, could come up with and share with me. So maybe you should!!


Bonny Bear gets 8.5 "wanna be combovers and Minanite beards" out of 10.